Sunny Walk

He did it again, but it was just too nice out to stay inside. The strong wind at his back had grab both of his ears and whipped them around his head and into his face. But as usual his left had picked up a present for him on the way around. It had made a large, slow-motion swipe across the top of his chocolate and butter pecan ice cream. The furry, sticky ear landed square on his eye, leaving a brown patch resembling the Little Rascal’s dog. He walked on down the sunny sidewalk, sucking chocolate off his ear.

Defeat

His ears and cheeks black with the soot and exhaust of defeat, Pintu walked through the now deserted lot. He had completed his assigned task but his head still hung low. He had not expected to place, in-fact he was not sure if he would even survive, with no training and so much on his mind to distract him, but the empty lot and the blazing sun found him in a funk. As he sat in his ’85 Corolla the picture lodged in front of the speedometer showing four smiling faces brought a smile to his face. All was good.

Some never

He listened to the music as he sat alone in the back of the room. He felt every word. “…my wheels drone on steady…” They took him back to another place. “…in the heat of the wide…” He remembered everything that had gotten him to now. “…the valley got a little too…” The close calls, the bitter mistakes, the wonder of blessings. A hint of a grin appeared as his eyes drifted off. “…some people sit still, some people go fast. Some go right to it, some never get past…” He was reminded that he would not trade it for anything.

a hometown carnival

He pushed his way through the crowd. It was a hot summer night and the fair was in town. He had gotten himself a big spool of cotton candy and already had it all over his ears. Through the maze of booths and lights and spinning screaming kids he strolled. The night air was filled with a million smells and his eyes were buzzing at the sights. Men yelling, engines roaring, and horses and elephants calling in the distance. He had seen many things in his twisted life but the wonder and amazement of a hometown carnival filled his heart.

two days before

The grass was soaked with the cool morning mist. The sun was finally coming up and his thoughts were finally settling down. As the sun sparkled on the landscape around him he remembered all that was still left. Yesterday’s events would not be what destroyed or defined him. His head lifted and he saw a red cardinal above him. Beyond him was a beautiful blue sky. Life and beauty still existed. Good was still present and that would be his focus. The bird filled the sweet air with his soft but proud song just as he had two days before.